THE BIRTH OF A FLAGSHIP.
The R/V Sikuliaq is the only ship owned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) rated for year-round operations in first-year ice, and the first vessel to be classed by ABS under the new polar vessel rules. A state-of-the-art, versatile science platform, the ship was built to support a myriad of cross-disciplinary studies in the Alaska region and can break through ice up to two and a half feet thick. It is operated by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF), and was designed by Glosten to meet the complex requirements of atmospheric, ecosystem, fishery, and geologic research efforts. Sikuliaq is an Inupiaq word that means “young sea ice,” reflecting the vessel’s Alaskan heritage and the university’s commitment to arctic research.